Farmland Fashion

A rural Chinese woman has gone viral online for her creativity, transforming farmland into a dazzling catwalk by designing dresses from only natural materials grown in the countryside. 

The vlogger, known online as “Village Magical Treasure,” boasts over 152,000 followers on Douyin and hails from Hengzhou in Guangxi province, southern China. 

In her videos, she artfully uses materials like peanut shells, red beans, sweet potatoes, dried grass, corn kernels, and corn husks to craft unique, rural-inspired clothing. 

She models her creations confidently, strutting through fields and showcasing what she proudly dubs “countryside fashion”. So far, she has posted 178 original videos. 

In one viral video from August, she crafted a dress entirely out of peanut shells, paired it with a red bean “necktie”, and walked through the fields. The clip garnered over 180,000 likes. 

She has also launched several vegetable-themed fashion shows, featuring outfits such as the “sweet potato dress” and the “long bean outfit”. 

And in a more recent video, she created an elaborate dragon robe from corn leaves, complete with a crown made of corn kernels, while reciting lines from the popular 2015 Chinese TV drama "The Legend of Mi Yue". 

“Every piece is crafted by me. The patterns and styles reflect my hobbies and preferences. All the fruits and vegetables used were grown by the elderly members of my family. I hope that, with this attention, I can help promote local agricultural products from my hometown”, she shared. 

In an interview with Chongqing Broadcasting Group, the vlogger revealed that she has never received any professional training in art or design. 

“This is simply a personal hobby. I’m not a professional designer and have never undergone formal training", she explained. 

“I’ve loved making clothes from different materials since childhood, always using eco-friendly items like vegetables or recyclable plastic bags. Whenever I see materials in abundance, I feel inspired to create outfits. Some are suitable for sewing, others for gluing, and I use a variety of tools depending on the material”, she added. 

Her creativity has sparked lively discussions across social media, with many online viewers in China marvelling at her talent. 

One commenter joked: “I crown you the Corn Empress. You are the ruler of all corn”. 

Another noted: “Each piece is a one-of-a-kind masterpiece. This isn’t farming; it’s pure art”. 

A third remarked: “She is so creative. This deserves a Guinness World Record!” 

Meet Mini Labubu

Pop Mart aren’t just selling toys, they're curating a full-blown global style phenomenon. And at the centre of it all is one mischievous, toothy superstar: Labubu. 

The “ugly-cute” creature from Hong Kong artist and illustrator Kasing Lung’s The Monsters series has transcended the toy shelf to become a bona fide fashion accessory, spotted dangling from handbags, backpacks, and now, thanks to Pop Mart’s latest move, clipped to your phone. 

Yes, the cult favourite just went mini, and it is now available. Along with a new long-fur version. 

In fact, Pop Mart's new mini Labubu dolls sold out instantly across China's online channels on launch day, August 28, 2025, following a surge in demand for the popular blind-box toy. This rapid sell-out included both standard and premium versions.

For sure, if you’ve been anywhere near Instagram, you’ve probably seen Labubu’s wide-eyed grin peeking out from a celebrity bag. Rihanna has one. So too, Dua Lipa. And Cardi B and David Beckham. And many, many others. 

Originally a playful handbag charm, Labubu has already achieved sold-out status worldwide, with collectors hunting down rare editions like they’re Hermès Birkins. The mini phone version? Consider it the micro-bag trend’s quirky little cousin. 

Pop Mart’s rise reads like a masterclass in building cult appeal. Their revenue more than doubled in 2024 to 13.04 billion yuan (RM7.7 billion), thanks in part to their elvish monster. In fact, revenue from Pop Mart’s plush toys soared more than 1,200% in 2024, nearly 22% of their overall revenue, according to the company’s annual report. 

Earlier last week, Pop Mart reported that their profit attributable to shareholders skyrocketed almost 400% for the first six months of the year. Revenue jumped more than 200% to 13.88 billion yuan (RM8.17 billion). Revenue for the Asia Pacific region surged more than 250%, while revenue for the Americas soared more than 1,000%. 

It's more than just toy-market success, it's also fashion-world clout. 

It is attested that the secret is the blind-box culture. When you buy a mystery pack without knowing which character you will get, a thrill that fuels collecting, trading, and, let’s be honest, a little obsession. It’s the same psychology that drives sneaker drops or luxury drops or luxury capsule collections: scarcity, surprise, and status. 

But Pop Mart are not content to stop there! They’re plotting rapid store openings in the US, eyeing emerging markets in the Middle East, Central Europe, and Latin America, and even hinting at a Disney-esque future, think animated films and theme park attractions. 

And if all of these sound ambitious, remember: this all started with a 6-inch grinning monster in a box. 

Labubu is no longer just a toy. It’s a conversation starter, a cultural badge, a tiny piece of joy you can carry with you. And in a world where fashion is as much about storytelling as it is about style, Pop Mart’s pint-sized icon proves that sometimes the biggest statement comes in the smallest (and toothiest) package.

Sergey Lavrov Prompts USSR Sweatshirt Craze

The much-touted meeting on American soil – billed as a vital step towards peace in Ukraine – between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday in Anchorage, Alaska has come and gone. And Trump admitted, there's no deal until there's a deal.

That aside, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov who was part of the Russian delegation accompanying Putin caught everybody's eye. But for a very different reason. 

Upon arriving at the meeting venue, i.e., the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson military facility, Lavrov drew attention as he stepped out of his car in a white long-sleeved sweatshirt marked with “CCCP” – the Russian letters for USSR – across the chest, layered under a black padded vest. The sweater featured black stripes on the cuffs, giving it a retro Soviet look.

Intentionally or unintentionally, he sparked a shopping frenzy because of that particular outfit. 

Yekaterina Varlakova, owner of SelSovet – the Chelyabinsk-based label that produced the sweater – said demand spiked as soon as Lavrov was seen wearing it. 

“The photo caused a sensation. All available pieces were gone by yesterday morning. Customers can now only pre-order, with delivery expected in one to one and a half months”, she told TASS on Saturday. 

SelSovet, founded in 2017, rose to prominence by 2021 through social media with the brand mixing retro design with Soviet imagery. 

Some media outlets suggested Lavrov’s choice of sweater was a deliberate reminder of Ukraine’s past status as part of the Soviet Union, though Lavrov himself has made no comment on his attire. 

In recent years, Soviet-themed culture has enjoyed renewed popularity in Russia, with retro cafés, bars, and clothing lines embracing the style. Designers describe these items as part of the country’s identity, noting that Soviet imagery is increasingly seen as shared history and cultural pride.

Chimps Spark Wild Fashion Trend With Grass And Stick Accessories

A study out of a chimpanzee sanctuary in Africa found that chimpanzees (Scientific name: Pan troglodytes) seemingly mirror somewhat meaningless behaviors in order to feel socially accepted. And dangling blades of grass or sticks from their ear holes and their behinds becomes trendy for some chimps, it would seem. 

It's very similar to how fashions and trends emerge in humans. Dr Jake Brooker (right) from Durham University, said: "This isn't about cracking nuts or fishing for termites – it's more like chimpanzee fashion. It mirrors how human cultural fads spread: someone starts doing something, others copy it, and it becomes part of the group identity even if it serves no clear purpose". 

It's not the first time this kind of behavior has been seen in chimpanzees at the Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage Trust sanctuary, which is located along the Chingola–Solwezi Road in Zambia. 

The grass-in-ear fad was first documented in 2010, when a female chimpanzee named Julie was observed repeatedly inserting grass into her ear. Later, the idiosyncratic behavior would be adopted by seven other chimps in the same group, and persisted even after Julie’s death, “suggesting it had become a cultural tradition”, the study authors write. “Unlike most chimpanzee traditions that involve tool use or foraging, the grass-in-ear behavior more closely resembled human fashion trends, where the function may be less tangible than in the instrumental context of foraging”. 

“This shows that, like humans, other animals also copy seemingly pointless behaviours from one another”, fellow researcher from Utrecht University and study lead author Edwin van Leeuwen (left) explained. “And that, in turn, may offer insights into the evolutionary roots of human culture”.  

There was no evidence that the chimpanzees were using the grass or sticks to deal with pain or itches, and they were “very relaxed” when they did it, Van Leeuwen said. 

Fast forward some 15 years, and chimpanzees in another group at the same sanctuary have hopped on the bandwagon, despite having no contact with the original group. Five out of eight chimps were spotted wearing grass in their ears, while six put their own unique stamp on the trend, letting the blades dangle from their behinds. 

Neither behavior was seen in any other group in the sanctuary, except for two males in the original grass-in-ear group. After tracking the animals for some time, the team noticed they were copying the behavior from each other, and may have identified the original trendsetter (plot twist: they’re not a chimp). 

“Both groups where chimps put blades of grass in their ears, had the same caretakers. These caretakers reported that they sometimes put a blade of grass or a matchstick in their own ears to clean them”, Van Leeuwen said. “Caretakers in the other groups said they did not do this. The chimps in the one group then figured out to stick the blade of grass in another place as well”. 

It’s impressive, especially considering that some scientists have been known to believe humans are unique in our ability to replicate seemingly pointless details. This new research challenges that assumption. 

“This is a trend that goes viral by means of social learning”, Van Leeuwen reiterated.

Van Leeuwen also cited the example of a group of chimpanzees at a zoo in the Netherlands in which one female started walking as if she were carrying a baby even though she wasn’t. Soon, all of the females had adopted this walking style, he said. 

In addition, when two new females were brought into the group, the one that adopted the style swiftly was integrated quickly, whereas the one that refused to walk in the group style took longer to be accepted.

For Van Leeuwen, these behaviors are about fitting in and smoothing social relationships, just as with humans. The grass behavior was mostly observed at leisure time, when the chimpanzees congregate to groom and play. 

Living in the sanctuary, the chimpanzees don’t have to worry about predators or competition with other groups, meaning they have more leisure time than their wild counterparts. “They have a lot of time to just hang out”, argued Van Leeuwens. 

Nonetheless, wild chimpanzees are probably capable of developing such behavior, he said, adding that it just might not have been documented yet.

Elodie Freymann, a post-doctoral affiliate at the University of Oxford’s Primate Models for Behavioural Evolution Lab, who was not involved in the study, told CNN that these kinds of observations are key to advancing our understanding of the origins and transmission patterns of cultural behaviors in chimpanzees and other non-human animals. 

“This study’s finding that there may have been interspecies copying between chimps and their human caretakers is pretty mind blowing”, she said. 

“If chimps can copy humans, could they be learning from and copying other non-human species as well? It’s an exciting moment in primatology”, Freymann added. 

Note: The said study "Chimpanzees socially learn non-instrumental behaviour from conspecifics" is published on July 04, 2025 in the journal Behaviour.

Taxidermy Fashion: Frog Skin Bikini

When Fabiana LeFleur decided to make her own bikini, she hopped right to it. Which makes sense since she used frogs as the material. 

The 28-year-old American lives in Henderson, Louisiana, and grew up hunting and fishing around the bayou. Her father taught her not to waste anything from an animal. 

“When my father took a deer, he always made it a point to use every part that he could, not only eating the meat but also tanning the hides, sometimes even carving the bones into knife handles”, she told local station KLFY TV. 

She recently decided to apply her father’s advice to amphibians. 

“I went out hunting and caught seven frogs, which worked out well because one of them didn’t turn out well”, she told HuffPost. “I didn’t choose carefully from a very large catch”. 

After removing the meat for a meal, she sewed the animals together into an eye-catching swimsuit. 

“The most difficult part of making the bikini was the skinning of the frogs”, LeFleur told the news website. “Normally, to filet a frog you would just make a cut around the belly and pull off the pants to expose the legs. To keep the whole things intact, I had to turn them completely inside out without damaging the skin so it’s a more delicate operation”. 

Once the frog hides were dried, she sewed them together with sinew and then covered them with several layers of shellac to make the bikini waterproof. Although she is happy with the results, LeFleur admits wearing the suit presents some challenges. 

“They don’t have an underwire, so there’s not as much support as a standard bathing suit”, she said. “As a piece of sportswear, a wardrobe malfunction would be inevitable”. 

The results, as you can see, are truly ribbiting, er, riveting. And photos of LeFleur in the frog swimsuit are going viral. 

Urbanites might find the idea of going skin-to-skin with an amphibian a little hard to take, but LeFleur said frog hides are no different from any other animal byproduct used to make clothing. 

“The only difference is that you can really see what they are in my suit”, she said. “I didn’t cut off the limbs and the heads. I thought it was a more interesting aesthetic. Personally, the process of extracting silk from worms seems a lot grosser than stitching a couple hoppers together”. 

She hopes her frog bikini inspires more people to find ways to use materials they would otherwise discard. 

The swimsuit offers a sustainable alternative to commercial fast fashion. LaFleur rocks her unique creation – though one can only imagine the interesting tan lines it leaves behind. 

FYI, in Louisiana, the American Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) and the Pig Frog (Rana grylio) are the primary frog species that are legally harvested and consumed. Additionally, the Bronze Frog (Rana clamitans) is also considered a game species and is edible.

Scientists Plan To Use Leather From Dinosaur DNA

Regarded as one of the most fearsome creatures on planet Earth millions of years ago, the 40-foot-long Tyrannosaurus rex (T-Rex) could soon be used to make a fashion statement. In a first-of-its-kind approach to luxury fashion, researchers and bioengineers in the UK are planning to use lab-grown leather from fossilised T-Rex remains to make purses, clutches and totes. 

Known as the King of the Dinosaurs, T Rex lived 68 million years ago in North America and Asia. Now, using T-Rex collagen as a blueprint, the researchers are hoping to develop the first example of leather, created from an extinct species. 

“We're unlocking the potential to engineer leather from prehistoric species, starting with the formidable T-Rex”, Che Connon, professor of tissue engineering at Newcastle University, said in a statement. 

"The hard bit is making leather from cells, and we've done that. The upstream bit is using existing technologies, which is why we're confident we can do this so quickly”. 

The joint venture between creative agency VML and biotech companies The Organoid Company and Lab-Grown Leather Ltd. are hoping to produce a luxury fashion item as their flagship commercial product by the end of 2025. 

"The material is fully biodegradable while maintaining the durability and repairability of traditional leather, offering a sustainable, cruelty-free, and traceable alternative for future generations of consumers, who demand both innovation and environmental responsibility". 

While the claims by scientists are audacious, some palaeontologists have called them out for being 'misleading'. 

"We have NO preserved tyrannosaurid DNA (indeed, not Mesozoic dinosaur DNA sequences), so there are no T-Rex genes”, Thomas Holtz, Jr., a vertebrate palaeontologist at the University of Maryland, told LiveScience. 

Notably, DNA starts to decompose and decay as soon as an animal dies. The oldest preserved DNA on record is about two million years old, while the T-Rex went extinct 66 million years ago.

Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show Returns

Some of modeling’s biggest names, from Tyra Banks to the Hadid sisters, donned signature wings – this year, faux feather versions were PETA-approved – again on Tuesday when the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show returned to the runway in New York City, USA after a six-year hiatus.

 

The lingerie company’s promotional event – featuring their star roster of models under contract, known as “angels” – was largely considered primetime viewing during its heyday from 1995 to 2018. But it got canceled in 2019, after its 2018 edition drew low ratings as well as criticism that it was sexist, outdated and lacked diversity. During that time, the fashion industry was grappling with a backlash amid the body positivity, transgender rights and #MeToo movements. 

 

Cut to May 2024, when Victoria’s Secret announced the show would make its return in the fall. The company claimed their values have shifted and promised the updated event would “reflect who we are today, plus everything you know and love – the glamour, runway, wings, musical entertainment, and more!” 

 

The 45-minute show, which was streamed on Amazon’s Prime Video and on the Victoria's Secret YouTube, TikTok and Instagram accounts, touted its first-ever all-women musical talent lineup. It featured performances by Blackpink alum Lisa, South African singer Tyla and pop legend Cher, who closed out the show with “Strong Enough” and “Believe”. 

 

And it brought back many of its best-known angels, including Gigi and Bella Hadid, Jasmine Tookes, Behati Prinsloo, Barbara Palvin, Taylor Hill, Candice Swanepoel and Adriana Lima, who retired from the brand in 2018. Claudia Schiffer participated for the second time, after last walking in the 1997 show. 

 

The show was also a debut for a number of iconic models who hadn’t walked the Victoria’s Secret runway before, including supermodel Kate Moss, who turned 50 in January, and former first lady of France, 56-year-old Carla Bruni. It was also the first Victoria’s Secret show for plus-size model and body activist Ashley Graham, who as a woman in her late 30s and mother of three kids, represented "curvy" women. The final model to take the stage was former angel Tyra Banks, Victoria’s Secret's first Black contract and cover model who walked in nine of its shows before she retired in 2005 to focus on television. 

 

The past several years have been tough financially for Victoria’s Secret as competition in the mid-range lingerie market has grown and the brand name lost some of its luster among younger shoppers – but let's see if Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2024 can prompt a revival in the company's fortunes.

 

Critics were quick to pan what was once the sexiest and most outrageous night in fashion, branding it "boring" and lacklustre, even accusing it of going woke. The occasion marked the first walk down the Victoria’s Secret runway for Brazilian model Valentina Sampaio, who had been the first transgender model to represent the brand in 2019. Fellow transgender model Alex Consani also took to the catwalk as the lingerie brand expanded on its efforts to be more inclusive. 

 

Malaysian badminton's Pearly Tan-Thinaah Muralitharan got off to a winning start at the Denmark Open yesterday. 

 

The world No. 7 women's pair overcame India's Treesa Jolly-Pullela Gayathri 19-21, 21-17, 21-15 in the opening hurdle in Odense. 

 

Pearly-Thinaah will play Lee Yu-lim-Shin Seung-chan of South Korea next in the last 16 today.

A Lennon-McCartney Collab

When two musicians with famous fathers co-create a song, it's bound to attract attention. That goes double when the names attached to the song are Lennon and McCartney. 

 

"Primrose Hill" is a gently nostalgic ditty by James McCartney with co-writing credit to Sean Ono Lennon. They are the youngest offspring of one of the most famous songwriting duos, Paul McCartney and John Lennon (of The Beatles fame).

 

In a picture (left) McCartney posted on Instagram, the two musicians strikingly resemble their famous Beatles fathers. 

 

Lennon was born in 1975, five years before his dad's murder, and has carved out a respectable, if uneven, career as a musician since the 1990s, performing with his mother, Yoko Ono, as well as bands such as Cibo Matto.  

 

James McCartney, whose mother was the late Linda McCartney, is two years younger. He began his recording career by making contributions to music by his parents in the late 1990s, but didn't begin releasing his own recordings until a decade later. On Instagram, he said the song was inspired by an idyllic boyhood memory.

 

Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.

 

Those who might be reflexively cynical about nepo-baby collabs will not be shocked to learn that the song has not performed particularly well on Spotify, where it earned fewer than 40,000 listens in the five days after its release. No matter because it is a recognizable tribute to a legendary lineage. 

 

Just a thought. Perhaps the two can get George Harrison's son Dhani and Ringo Starr's son Zak to join them on the next track?

 

One of fashion's biggest nights, Met Gala 2024 falls on May 06. And it will celebrate The Costume Institute’s spring exhibition and gala titled “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion”. 

 

According to a release from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the theme will "explore notions of rebirth and renewal, using nature as a metaphor for the impermanence of fashion". 

 

With around 600 attendees, the guest list is generally kept top secret until the evening before the event. Past guests have included everyone from Rihanna and Lady Gaga to Blake Lively and Kim Kardashian, all wearing unforgettable looks.

 

The said exhibition, which will be open to the public from May 10 through September 02, 2024, will look to bridge the gap between the natural world and fashion.

 

Tied to the aforementioned exhibition, the dress code is “The Garden of Time" as announced by US fashion and lifestyle magazine, Vogue. 

 

Not missing a beat, Ryanair's take on the Met Gala 2024 theme wins over the Internet. The European budget airline shared an edited photo of one of their planes adorned with flowers and leaves, as well as a pair of lips wearing pink lipstick and writing, "Born to slay, forced to fly".

 

Ruined Jeans for $2450

The fashion people are at it again, selling ruined clothes for astronomical prices to people who think they get it. 😮😮

 

Balenciaga's creative director, Demna Gvasalia explained that the Spanish fashion house now have a whole department dedicated to ageing their clothes and making them dirty. Part of the line-up, these jeans are cut from premium Japanese denim and given the label's "Super Destroyed" treatment.

 

Out of the blue, I saw this news on Covid-19 in Malaysia. And no, it has not gone away. I don't think it'll ever disappear.  

 

The number of cases have dropped sharply in the Epidemiological Week (ME14/2024) from March 31 to April 06, as reported by the country's Health Ministry today. 

 

Their director-general Dr Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan said the ME 14/2024 period documented 493 cases compared to 17,256 cases in the ME 1/2024 period. This represents a huge drop of about 97.1 percent. 

 

And the number of deaths in Covid-19 cases also showed a significant decrease from 32 cases in ME 1/2024 to just one case in ME 14/2024 (95.5 percent decrease), he added.

 

For good measure, he pointed out that the Omicron variant and its sub-variants, which is still spreading in Malaysia, does not cause severe infection. 

 

I suppose it is good to know that the MOH continue to track Covid.

Gillian Anderson's Golden Globe Gown: Vulvaliciously Chic

At Sunday night’s Golden Globe Awards, Gillian Anderson’s ivory, strapless, floor-grazing gown made not one but two statements. 

 

While upon first inspection, the chic wool and silk cady Gabriela Hearst creation epitomizes old Hollywood glamour, a closer look reveals a more subversive twist: The addition of tens of embroidered vulvas sewn onto the skirt. 

 

Speaking to Deadline on the Golden Globes red carpet, the “Sex Education” star explained that she chose it “for so many reasons”, and added, “It’s brand appropriate”. 

 

Paired with a silver metallic handbag by Aquazzura and gems by Chopard, the dress prompted debate on social media with some users on X speculating the star’s choice – billed as a “collaboration” between the actor and designer Gabriela Hearst – was a tacit statement in support of women’s reproductive rights. 

 

Anderson herself explained to British Vogue that, “Since my Instagram presence has been highlighting yonis (the Sanskrit word for womb or vagina) since "Sex Education" landed on Netflix and with the mantra of my (wellness soft drinks) brand G-Spot being to "prioritize pleasure", I wanted to bring this element into the design… I’m so pleased Gabriela was up for the challenge!” 

 

According to the actor, each vulva motif took craftspeople 3.5 hours to embroider, totaling around 150 hours.

 

“'Vulvaliciously' chic as always”, Hearst had captioned an Instagram post on Monday regarding the look.

Balenciaga's Towel Skirt

If you had a spare $925, Balenciaga would like to sell you a towel skirt.

 

Yes, you heard it right! The skirt is from look 30 of the fashion house's Spring 24 Collection, and is now ready to pre-order on their website. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Labeled as being a unisex item, the skirt is 100 percent cotton and has two buttons on the waistline, as well an adjustable belt buckle on the inside. Of course, the knee-length skirt comes with the Balenciaga logo embroidered tone-on-tone at the front, apparently. 

 

In light of it looking the same as a towel you could probably buy from Walmart or wherever and wrap it around your waist for hundreds of dollars less, people have taken to X to voice their thoughts.

 

Some have questioned if it's a prank, but April 1st is still a couple of months away! 

 

"Balenciaga is selling a towel wrapped around somebody’s waist as a skirt for $925", someone said. "Please be f**king for real". 

 

"These folks definitely have forgotten their brain", said someone else while referring to the fashion house's designers. 

 

"Balenciaga’s $925 towel skirt… f**k fashion bruh", penned another followed by a string of laughing emojis. 

 

Someone else fumed: "That's ridiculous! Who would pay that much for a towel skirt?" 

 

"What kind of madness is this? At least I'm not their target market", laughed one person.

 

I would love to know how many of these things Balenciaga actually sell...

 

Liverpool’s youngest European team in their history found the Europa League just too tough for them as Jürgen Klopp’s experimental side lost the dead rubber 2-1 in Brussels yesterday against Union Saint Gilloise.

 

The Belgian side scored first in the thirty-second minute. Twenty-year-old centre-half Jarell Quansah equalised with a powerful effort from inside the penalty area for his first Liverpool goal. And then, the hosts regained the lead just before half-time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Despite the loss, the Reds won Group E with 12 points from their six games. They will not play another European fixture until the last 16 in March and can focus on the other competitions. 

 

They now have three vital home games – Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday, West Ham in the EFL Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday and then Arsenal in the league on December 23.

Dupe Culture is Trending

Dupe culture is reshaping the fashion industry. 

Indeed, when it comes to staying on-trend without breaking the bank, more and more young people go looking for fashion dupes. Social media – TikTok in particular –  the hashtags #dupe and #dupes count 6 billion and 3.5 billion views respectively, and that's without counting their many variants such as #dupemakeup (85 million views), #dupeperfume (61 million views), or #fashiondupes (28 million views).

Fashion dupes are different from counterfeit products, but they come from a similar place. Counterfeits masquerade as the brand, using logos and other protected trademark elements to pass themselves off as the real thing. Fashion brands have some legal recourse against counterfeit products. At least in theory. 

Dupes don’t pretend to be anything other than a copy of the product they’re duping. They’ll often proudly proclaim themselves as a dupe. Where counterfeit fashion is a game of whack-a-mole at best, counteracting dupes may be even more challenging for fashion brands. There’s no legal protection; dupes don’t infringe on obvious trademarks. They basically just say “oh, you like that [insert consumer fashion item here]? Well check this out, it looks the same but costs less”.

Dupes are becoming a trend in their own right. "Dupes" is short for duplicates. And dupe fashions are knock-offs of high-end products. “Dupe culture” is a counterculture of sorts, made up of people seeking style on a budget. 

Counterfeit fashions borrow on the cachet of iconic brands. They’re fakes that give the illusion that someone is wearing or carrying an iconic brand. People who wear or carry counterfeit fashion hope no one finds out. People who manufacture counterfeit fashion really hope no one finds out… because they’re breaking the law. 

Dupe culture, on the other hand, sees people proudly proclaiming how much they saved by eschewing the designer label. Dupes don’t pretend to be the brand. If anything, they stand in opposition to the brand they’re duping. 

Dupe culture is not just about affordability. It’s wrapped up in the guise of democratizing trends. If you’ve heard the phrase “buy nice or buy twice”, dupe culture is basically the opposite. Buy cheap, buy lots. 

And a report from YPulse, which specialises in analyzing the behavior of younger generations, affirms that Gen Y and Z consumers now prefer to buy dupes than luxury products – in other words, the original, high-end versions of these copies. The figures are indisputable, with more American and Canadian consumers aged 13 to 39 reporting that they have bought a dupe than those who have invested in a luxury product. In detail, 60 percent of teenagers aged 13 to 17 have turned to these imitations, compared with 41 percent who have spent money on a luxury item.

But even older respondents, who generally benefit from greater purchasing power, are not to be outdone. More than two-thirds of 18-24 and 25-39 year-olds (67 percent for both age groups) claim to have already bought a dupe, compared with 54 percent and 61 percent respectively, who have invested in a luxury product. 

Younger generations are turning to dupes because of their lower cost, but that's not the only driving force. Nearly seven in ten Gen Z and Millennials consider that dupes give them the "luxury" feeling without spending a lot of money, but 60 percent say they would still turn to dupes even if they could afford the original luxury items. And the experience – the thrill of unearthing cheaper alternatives – is also part of the game for more than half of those surveyed. 

Whereas consumers used to be ashamed of buying imitations, as they suggested lower purchasing power, they're now proud to share their finds, which are ultimately synonymous with savvy shopping.

The Comically Oversized Footwear Trend

Paris, the fashion capital, hosted another feverish fashion week from September 25 to October 03, featuring a lineup of 108 fashion houses, 68 fashion shows, and 41 presentations. 

 

One of the most anticipated participants was the Italian fashion house, Marni, which unveiled an exciting shoe design for the runway, the Big Foot 2.0 (left). This model is an amplified, humorous rendition of a previous platform sneaker model from 2018, resonating with the trend of comically oversized footwear.

 

The Big Foot 2.0 resonates with the art collective MSCHF’s Big Red Boots (below pic), which became a viral sensation after their presentation in the spring. Despite their eccentric design, these unisex boots quickly found their way onto the feet of many, including popular artists like Doja Cat, Lil Nas X, Iggy Azalea, and Janelle Monae.

 

 

 

Seeming to have leapt straight from the pages of the 1990s Japanese manga series Astro Boy (right), the giant, pillarbox-red boots, rendered in TPU and EVA foam, are simultaneously nostalgic, futuristic, and utterly absurd; as MSCHF declared in their press release, "If you kick someone in these boots, they go boing!" 

 

Interestingly, the boots’ unintentional suction issues – see the viral TikTok video in which one wearer gets stuck in their BRBs (Big Red Boots) – the unisex boots seemed to augment the phenomenon’s reach, adding to their distinctive charm. 

 

MSCHF, a New York-based art collective renowned for pushing the boundaries of art, design, and luxury commerce, also collaborated with Crocs in August. This collaboration resulted in the Big Yellow Boots, a sunflower-yellow reinterpretation of the Big Red Boots, complete with the signature Crocs holes and heel strap.

 

The spring/summer 2023 collections are demonstrating a more refined take on the cartoon-channelling shoe, from Prada's proudly puffy nappa loafers (right) to Loewe's comic lacquered foam pumps (seemingly inspired by Minnie Mouse's oversized, slip-on high heels) to Proenza Schouler's pillowy Arc platform mules. And, across mens' and womenswear alike, the craze, it seems, is not showing signs of slowing down. 

 

So, what does this newfound interest in clompy, cartoonesque footwear signify? "In one sense, it communicates a desire for non-conformity and personal expression, which aligns with contemporary values of individuality and self-confidence", Dr Carolyn Mair (left), a cognitive psychologist and fashion business consultant, and the author of "The Psychology of Fashion", explains. "And at the same time, it subverts more traditional ideals of beauty in preference for novel, unconventional aesthetics".

 

Cultural historian Annebella Pollen (right) agrees. "They remind me somewhat of the shoes designed by second-wave feminists in the 1970s and 1980s. They viewed the trend for stiletto heels and pointy toes as a way of keeping women in their place, so they produced their own handmade, foot-shaped styles that drew on men's workwear boots, and were very much anti-fashion".

 

The cartoon shoe, methinks, is all about standing out. 

 

As Mair shares: "Our vision has evolved to allow us to automatically process, without attention, objects which are typical or representative of their category, so we can use our limited cognitive resources to pay attention to unusual objects that [in an evolutionary sense] might be a threat. The attention-grabbing aesthetics of today's oversized shoes may not appeal to everyone, but they will certainly get you noticed and, as such, are likely to project an adventurous and fun image".

US Buys China's C919 Jumbo Jets

I was fortunate to come across this news, even though it is hardly reported in the mainstream press! Capital Aviation Services, a subsidiary of General Electric of the United States, have signed an order for twenty C919 large passenger aircraft from China – for a total value of $2.2 billion! 

 

Sure, it’s an itsy-bitsy sale but it is nonetheless, an encouraging start to penetrate the international market. 

 

The C919 is China's first domestically-built large passenger aircraft. Under development since 2008, the jumbo jet made its first test flight in May 2017 with six prototype airplanes operating in different regions across China. The plane completed its final test flights before commercial delivery in December 2022. 

 

FYI, the C919 targets the same market as the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737, the two best-selling commercial aircraft. And a January 13, 2023 report by CGTN said that over 1,200 planes are on COMAC's order books. Mostly from domestic airlines and/or leasing firms. 

 

This acquisition from the Americans made two weeks ago is a strong testament to the capability and caliber of the C919 and represents a vote of confidence in China’s aviation sector. 

 

I reckon the C919 is a worthy rival to both Airbus and Boeing – granted, it will take a period of time before COMAC conquer the world. I've no doubt they will.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The art-and-advertising collective MSCHF has brought a portmanteau to the next level by making Birkenstock-style sandals from deconstructed Hermès Birkin handbags. 

 

Except for some finishing details like golden buckles and stamped branding, the resulting "Birkinstocks" look much like traditional Birkenstocks. 

 

But, of course, these are no ordinary Birkenstocks, as they are handcrafted from luxury leather from bags that normally retail for tens of thousands of dollars. 

 

As an unofficial 2021 collaboration with Hermès, the bespoke sandals were priced between $34,000 and $76,000 per pair (!!). They were part of a limited release through MSCHF's app (Android, Apple) and, according to the Birkinstock website, are sold out.

Woman in Red

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

American rapper Doja Cat wowed onlookers on Monday as she arrived at a Schiaparelli (just so you know, it's SKAP-eh-REL-EE) runway show in a dramatic head-to-toe look – British makeup artist Pat McGrath had described the look as “Doja’s Inferno” – adorned with red body paint and 30,000 Swarovski crystals. 

 

The eye-catching all-red outfit, which was custom-designed by the fashion house's creative director Daniel Roseberry, was brought to life by McGrath (right), whose team spent “4 hours and 58 minutes” completing the look. 

 

The singer's grand entrance at the Petit Palais in Paris, France marked a dramatic start to Schiaparelli's Couture Spring-Summer 2023 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on January 23. Dubbed "Inferno Couture," the label's latest collection was inspired by Dante's "Inferno" and the nine circles of hell, according to Roseberry's show notes. 

 

Doja Cat's fittingly devilish outfit featured a silk bustier, a skirt covered in lacquered wooden beads, and a pair of matching red boots. 

 

And in time for the Lunar New Year too! 😀– red being an auspicious color for the Chinese!

 

The Internet stood divided over the show-stopping moment. While there were social media users who called it an “iconic” fashion moment and lauded the “creative fashion art”, others were of the opinion that it triggered trypophobia (fear of clusters of small holes or bumps). And Doja Cat’s photos in this Schiaparelli ensemble, of course, triggered a meme fest on social media.